FRANCE: Paris metro operator RATP has awarded Siemens Mobility a contract to convert Line 13 to driverless operation.
In 2024 RATP CEO Jean Castex told Metro Report International that this would be the first conversion of steel-wheel metro from Grade of Automation 2 attended to GoA4 unattended operation.
The contract announced by the supplier on August 26 includes the provision of communications-based train control systems, onboard equipment for 66 trainsets, renovating the control centre and staff training. There is an optional maintenance agreement for up to 30 years.
Modernisation to optimise capacity and reliability
The 24 route-km Line 13 starts at Châtillon-Montrouge in the southwest of the capital and splits into two branches to serve Saint-Denis-Université and Asnières-Genevilliers-Les-Courtilles in the north, with 32 stations. It carries more than 550 000 passengers/day, with particularly high traffic on the northern sections beyond Saint-Lazare.
Siemens Mobility said automation would increase capacity by reducing the minimum interval between trains, enable dynamic frequency adjustment based on passenger demand, improve service reliability and optimise energy consumption. It will also enable the provision of real-time passenger information onboard trains.
The modernisation project will begin with the introduction of new Alstom MF19 five-car trainsets in 2027.
The current Alcatel/Thales Ouragan GoA2 system, which controls the trains with the drivers controlling the doors and safety functions, will then be replaced with the Siemens Mobility GoA4 system. This will enable 85 sec headways between Châtillon-Montrouge and La Fourche where the two branches divide. The system is expected to go live between late 2032 and 2035.
The project will be managed from Siemens Mobility’s global centre of excellence for rail automation and cybersecurity in Châtillon near Paris.
The programme is being funded by transport authority Ile-de-France-Mobilités, which took the decision to automate the line 2022.
Building on expertise
The contract builds on Siemens Mobility’s previous work to implement driverless operation on rubber-tyred lines 1, 4 and 14.
‘We have had the privilege of contributing to several successful projects in Paris over the years’, said Marc Ludwig, CEO of Siemens Mobility Rail Infrastructure. ‘With Line 14, we achieved a world first by upgrading an existing driverless system to our advanced CBTC GoA4 technology while simultaneously extending automation to new sections of the line. This breakthrough enables Line 14 to serve up to one million passengers daily at 85 sec intervals.
‘With Line 13, we’re building on this expertise, upgrading one of Paris busiest lines to operate fully automatically.’
- Read an in-depth article about the renewal of the automation systems on Paris metro Line 14 from the October 2024 issue of Railway Gazette International magazine.
